The present invention relates generally to shipping cases and, more particularly, to a carrying handle and a locking mechanism.
Shipping cases are widely used by individuals to protect a variety of property during transportation from one place to another. In some situations, the individuals are particularly concerned with protecting their property because of either the fragile nature of the property, which allows it to be damaged easily, or because of the high value of the property. In these situations, individuals prefer to pack their property in shipping cases that provide a high degree of durability and security. In all situations, however, individuals desire shipping cases that provide convenient handling.
During transportation, shipping cases are subjected to a wide range of handling methods and are oftentimes outside of the owner""s immediate control for long periods of time. One such example involves the use of air transportation for shipping property from place to place. As people familiar with the air transportation business know, a shipping case is usually moved between a number of intermediate storage places by a variety of handling systems before the shipping case finally reaches its destination. The various intermediate storage places can include storage at airport terminals, distribution and sorting stations, transportation trucks, and the cargo holds of airplanes. Likewise, the handling systems usually include a significant amount of manual handling and can also include automatic sorting systems.
Shipping case manufacturers have attempted to satisfy this need for durability, security, and handling convenience with a number of different features. For example, in addressing durability, the U.S. government has published a specification which provides a number of guidelines that should be followed in designing shipping cases to ensure high durability. This specification has been adopted by the general industry and is now referred to as Air Transport Association of America Specification 300, the details of which are hereby incorporated by reference. One guideline included in this industry specification requires that the handles, latches, and locks be recessed below the outer surface of the shipping case to ensure that protruding objects do not become snagged during handling. Another requirement is that the handles remain firmly against the sides of the shipping case so that they are not allowed to flop loosely during handling.
The concern for security has been addressed with a variety of locking devices and latches. Locking devices can include either key locks or combination locks. In some situations, individuals prefer combination locks because this allows them to transport a shipping case to another person and transfer the unlocking code to the other person either orally or in a writing. In other situations, individuals prefer key locks because the key can be retained with the person and an unlocking code does not need to be memorized. Security concerns also require latches that firmly keep the shipping case closed during abusive handling. Typically, turnbuckle latches are provided along each end of the open side of the shipping case to ensure that the shipping case does not accidentally pop open during handling.
Handling convenience is usually addressed by providing several handles in different locations. Commonly, one handle is provided on the long side of the shipping case, and another handle is provided on the small side of the case. Other handling devices are sometimes provided like rolling wheels and extendible tow handles.
One problem that has been encountered in designing smaller shipping cases is the limited amount of space available for the various handles, latches, and locks that are desired by individuals. As discussed above, two latches are generally required along the open side of the shipping case. In smaller shipping cases that are less than about twenty-five inches, a limited amount of space is left remaining between the two latches for a handle or a lock. As a result, shipping case manufacturers generally provide either a handle or a lock between the two latches but are not able to provide both a handle and a lock on the open side of the shipping case.
The present invention provides a combined handle and lock assembly that can be used on shipping cases when limited space exists for a separate handle and a separate lock. The combined handle and lock assembly provides a recessed mounting plate and a spring biased handle in order to satisfy ATA Specification 300. A lock is attached to the mounting plate within the recessed area. One embodiment includes a combination lock. The combination locking device is attached to the lower portion of the locking plate and is positioned so that it can be seen through the circumference of the handle when it is in its recessed position. The strike plate for the combination lock is attached to the back side of the upper portion of the mounting plate.